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"Girls and gamers"

This is a reply I intended to make to a comment I read about two weeks ago, but I forgot.

Anyway, forementioned column was lamenting the fact that (and I quote) "girls and gamers don't mix"! My first point was that being a girl and being a "gamer" (whatever that is, maybe I should say "playing games" instead) do not exclude each other. I would love to get a chorus of support from female contributors to these columns, but I feel my chances are slim, so I'll accept that they are perhaps a rare breed. But it was a bit of a patronising generalisation (don't get many of those these days) to infer that there are none.

Anyway, that was my initial rant, my warm-up for the main point, which is this. The vast majority of games players, and more importantly games buyers, fit into a single category, young and male. I think the breakdown of the posters in these discussions will probably reflect that, although anyone who isn't please let me know. The future of gaming holds in store a battle between four players, each of who will be trying to sell more units than the others. I presume this battle will be fought over the same set of buyers - young males. I wonder if any of the contenders has given much thought to capturing new sections of the market? And I don't mean by releasing things like Barbie's fashion studio either...

What do you reckon? Is it possible to expand the market at all, or is it a lost battle? If it is then HOW?

This is a reply I intended to make to a comment I read about two weeks ago, but I forgot.

Anyway, forementioned column was lamenting the fact that (and I quote) "girls and gamers don't mix"! My first point was that being a girl and being a "gamer" (whatever that is, maybe I should say "playing games" instead) do not exclude each other. I would love to get a chorus of support from female contributors to these columns, but I feel my chances are slim, so I'll accept that they are perhaps a rare breed. But it was a bit of a patronising generalisation (don't get many of those these days) to infer that there are none.

Anyway, that was my initial rant, my warm-up for the main point, which is this. The vast majority of games players, and more importantly games buyers, fit into a single category, young and male. I think the breakdown of the posters in these discussions will probably reflect that, although anyone who isn't please let me know. The future of gaming holds in store a battle between four players, each of who will be trying to sell more units than the others. I presume this battle will be fought over the same set of buyers - young males. I wonder if any of the contenders has given much thought to capturing new sections of the market? And I don't mean by releasing things like Barbie's fashion studio either...

What do you reckon? Is it possible to expand the market at all, or is it a lost battle? If it is then HOW?

I admit that the majority of the gaming population is young and male, i would have to say that this is due to a stereotype- girls dont believe they should be playing games because they are girls. However, Im inclined to disagree, I have a lot of friends that are girls that play computer games, even my girlfriend does(probably because of me!). Its also an industry thats dominated by names, im currently games testing at the moment, and all I see is men programming games. There is one exception though- the lead programmer that is responsibe for the development of the Wipeout series is female, but it is still a minority in an otherwise male dominated industry. The only way this can be changed is if developers and publishers wake up and realise that women gamers' opinions should be taken into account when developing games, and possibly wed have more women getting into playing games. It was a bad idea releasing games like ones to do with barbie and the Spice girls- that is taking it to the wrong extreme to encourage female gamers. They should try to introduce characters in games which encourage women to become gamers, not to produce big busted tarty characters like Lara Croft, which doesnt encourage women gamers to be noticed. I would like to see more women to become gamers and to be in the industry, but it will take a long time to get through the male stereotype.

It may be because we don't see gaming as a big, all time-consuming hobbies that some boys do. I for one like to play games on consoles, but I do not spend hours or days trying to finish a game. I've never seen the fascination with Role Playing or Adventure games as I just don't have the time or want to sit down for that long in front of the television.
I enjoy playing fighting games and racing games, I'm pretty good at Soul Calaber and Tekken, but don't really think that games are my life. I'm not saying it's wrong, I just don't do it myself.

GG, Its not a good idea to jump into a massive RPG straight away, Id try one of the Resident Evil games first. RPGs rely on being involved completely in a game and you need to build yourself up to that. For blokes games arent our life as you put it, but it definately is that we play them a hell of a lot, from what Ive seen, more than what girls do. I appreciate that, but thats probably why you dont have a fancy for RPGs, as they require so much time and effort, but they are very satisfying when you finish them, thats for sure.

I think the problem is companies release games aimed at females like all of the Barbie ones, and that Spice Girls pap, and they're rubbish so no one wants to play them. If they just changed their marketing a little I'm sure there would be more female gamers.

Bj, if you read the above, youll see I already said that!!!

Your too right, the games are made for the adult male/young male groups, the big producing companies know that theres no money in making games for girls as there isn't a big enough audience to make a profit from, most games now are Football, driving, gun shooting women, and other dominant male events on games, there aren't many popular games that have been aimed at children and made a hit, Spice girls was a load of rubbish, although spice girls were big when it was thought of, they slipped up by selling out, a big glitch, but then they're only market was a load of girls aged between 7 and 12, like pokemon, but as you all know, the male market is bigger, and they are more likely to have a console for their birthdays than a bunch of fashion items or money.

Girls love games too, when I was young I played games with girls and I still do today. Sure not all games appeal to girls, but ask a girl if shes played Tetris, Solitare or another puzzle game---they probably have. Thats not to say girls dont like other Games, my freind Laura is addicted to Micromachines. Games do cater for men mostly, but with the female gaming audience ever more important today, female lead characters are starting to appear in games (with realisitic proportions!) for example Joanna Dark in Perfect Dark. The Future of gaming is where men and women play games together, for fun. It'll make online gaming alot more interesting, just like men and women make the world more interesting due to their different qualities.

All the girls I have ever played with give up after 5 minutes because they get beaten too easily, their brothers have the game but they still can't get it! my sister sometimes challenges me to a game of Diddy Kong or Goldeneye as she doesn't like Perfect dark(she gets killed very easily) but she doesn't get the idea that whatever she picks she will loose, it's probably because I play it alot more than her but I stand still in front of her on Goldeney for about 5 seconds so she has a chance to kill me but she never does, maybe she gets a couple fo hits in but I think the only time she killed me was when I was blocked in a room and she put a load of timed mines on the door, and the only thing in the room was a pp7, so I didn't have a chance.

My friends girlfriend bet me at Mario Kart 64. But I can beat her easily at Perfect Dark.

I suppose girls prefer games without violence and action, and we prefer them. I expect someones already said this so I'll shut up now.